Issue 90 Volume 2 GLOBAL TALK Serving James English School and our clients since 2005 March 15, 2013 INSIDE THIS ISSUE “What is Easter all about?” by Richie Gill アメリカの祝日 ここ数年でハロウィーンなど西洋の祭りが日本でも盛ん になってきていますが、みなさん“復活祭（イースター）” について、ご存知でしょうか？ festival celebrated worldwide that hasn’t yet become popular in Japan is Easter. If you haven’t lived in a western country you may not have even heard of it, but it is in fact, a very popular festival that has been around for hundreds of years. The modern form of Easter is a combination of ancient traditions, a religious holiday commemorating the death and resurrection of Jesus celebrated by Christians, a Jewish traditional feast called the Passover and a pagan spring fertility festival originally celebrated in northern Europe. Famous symbols of Easter are the Easter Bunny, a symbol of fertility and colorful Easter eggs which represent rebirth and the sunlight of spring. Easter, for most, is a time when we celebrate by buying and giving chocolate and marshmallow eggs and bunnies. Yet another time of year to load on the calories! But traditionally, like Christmas and Thanksgiving, it actually has a deep and meaningful past that many people in other countries take very seriously, and it is also a three or four day public holiday in many countries, such as Canada, England, Australia and New Zealand just to name a few. In the United States, Americans also celebrate Easter, and it is a public holiday in 12 states, and in all states it is a school holiday on Good Friday and Easter Monday. On Easter Sunday shops are often closed and on Friday and Monday even the NY stock exchange is closed. On Easter Monday the president holds an annual Easter egg roll on the White House lawn for children, and New York city holds an annual Easter parade on Easter Sunday. Easter parades are also popular events in many other countries. Children in western countries often follow the tradition of coloring hard-boiled eggs and eating chocolate eggs and marshmallow bunnies they get from their parents. When I was a child, I always looked forward to finding a giant chocolate egg at the end of my bed on Easter Sunday. That day we would have family gatherings, a special feast and lots of marshmallow bunnies and mini chocolate eggs. It was a very festive time of year, much like Christmas but without presents and decorations. -- cont. to the next page March 15, 2013 アメリカの祝日（シカゴの例） -- cont. from the top page Easter extends from a Friday to a Monday so it’s a moveable event, meaning it is not fixed in relation to the civil calendar. It is always on the first Sunday after the full moon following the March equinox. Easter therefore varies between March 22nd and April 25th. According to scholars, it is generally thought that the name Easter was derived from the name of the Scandinavian Goddesses Ostra and Eastre, whose festival was celebrated in spring. So now, if you see a chocolate Easter egg or Easter bunny in a shop somewhere in Japan, you will know that in the west they are enjoying a festive time of year that has been celebrated for centuries! アメリカの祝日は州によって違う場合があります。 日本の祝日のよ うな全国的な休日ではなく慣例として連邦政府が決定した公休日と 併せる州がほとんどです。 感謝祭（THANKS GIVING DAY）、クリ スマス、ニューイヤーズなどの祝日には多くの所（美術館、博物館、 水族館、ショッピングモール、映画館、レストランなど）が休みとなる ので、旅行などの際には事前にチェックしてからのお出掛けをお勧 めします。 １月１日 ニューイヤーズ・デー NEW YEARS DAY １月第３月曜日 マーチン・ルーサー・キング・デー MARTIN LUTHER KING'S BIRTHDAY ２月１２日 リンカーン・バースデー LINCOLN'S BIRTHDAY ２月第３月曜日 プレシデント・デー PRESIDENT'S BIRTHDAY 復活祭直前の金曜日 グッドフライデー GOOD FRIDAY ３月下旬～４月下旬 復活祭 EASTER SUNDAY ３月1７日 セントパトリック・デー St. PATRICK DAY ５月最終月曜日 メモリアル・デー MEMORIAL DAY ７月４日 独立記念日 INDEPENDENCE DAY egg roll イースターに行われる伝統的なゲームの一種 ９月第1月曜日 レイバー・デー LABOR DAY civil calendar 常用暦 10月第2月曜日 コロンバス・デー COLUMBUS DAY 11月11日 退役軍人の日 VETERAN'S DAY 11月第4木曜日 サンクスギビング・デー THANKS GIVING DAY 12月24日 クリスマス CHRISTMAS 読み解きのヒント commemorate ～を（儀式・祭典で）祝う の復活 resurrection キリスト Passover ユダヤ人の祝い pagan 無宗教者 fertility 肥沃、豊饒 load 十分なほど与える、（過度に）詰め込む equinox 昼夜辺平分点 derive ～に由来する goddess 女神 ジェイムズ英会話 0120-30-4911 ﾎｰﾑﾍﾟｰｼﾞ： http://www.james.co.jp/
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